I got tickets to see the musical Mary Poppins when it comes to neighboring town this spring - and a backstage tour with my nephews friend (who just started on the tour as a chorus member so totally excited

My favorite gift is without a doubt Jiji, the 1 year old American Short Hair Boyfriend got for me. Jiji was confiscated by the city police in August, his previous owners had chained him up outside in their yard with no shelter, food, or water. He was also found with injuries on his face from either trying to escape or fighting off other animals. (They've since healed ). While at the shelter he took so badly to being in a cage that he would rub against the bars causing his face to become swollen. Eventually he had to be moved to a larger cage meant for the cats that have been at the shelter a long time and need the space, but no one showed any interest in adopting him. 1) No one wanted a black cat (which are the hardest to adopt out and the ones most commonly put to sleep)2) him being a young very energetic cat with no prior 'home' kitty etiquette.

He's litter trained but was behaving in a 'play fighting' manner at the shelter, so no one wanted to adopt him knowing he might take effort to train. Since he was kept chained outside for the first 6 months of his life I believe he just has no concept of the sort of behavior an older cat who had a prior home life would have had.

Because he was being overlooked for so long he was listed as an 'urgent adoption' and it sounds like he was getting close to having to be put down as a combination of people just not showing interest in him and him becoming worse off from being kept in cage after cage.

We adopted him this past weekend with the shelter volunteers warning us he isn't a 'lap cat' and witnessing his play fight behaviors. everyone really loved Jiji but he was getting harder to adopt the longer he was kept in cages without any training.

From the moment he was in our home it was like he lived here all along. All he's done is lay with Boyfriend and I, purr in our laps, and stay by our feet. He mews and chatters with us like he's having a perfectly logical conversation. His previously excitable behavior has toned down drastically and he has not nibbled or scratched once. It's like he just came right in and was home right away. No time to 'adjust', no hiding under the sofa, no being scared and nervous, he just fit right into our home right away and spent the whole of Sunday begging for tummy rubs.

Everyone at the shelter will be so happy to know how amazingly well he's come into our lives and see that he's like a completely different cat. He's loving, playful, and just such a wonderful little furry guy that I can't believe no one would give him a chance. He's just a wonderful pet to have and I am so glad that we where able to give him a good home.

I plan on making a big batch of cookies to bring over to the shelter volunteers this weekend, they knew Jiji was a good guy and just needed someone to give him a chance.

My TV I didn't know what mom was getting me but I certainly didn't expect that! I was so shell shocked I uttered a thank you. And spent the next three days reassuring mom that "yes that is an awesome gift, no you don't have to exchange it for something else, I am just still in shock!"

And even today I still am in shock, with little waves of excitement coming and going. I really hope it doesnt all hit me at once so I have to Squee.

I got a bunch of lovely things, but my husband got it perfectly right as usual: a necklace watch and a book (The Last Dickens).However, I might love the Mocca Master my parents gave us as an early Christmas present even more than I love life itself.

My favorite gift this year was one we gave DS (almost 12). He asked for a laptop to help him with his schoolwork. A new laptop was not in our gift budget, and I had to tell him that. Then, a couple of weeks before Christmas, DH's employer announced they were having a surplus computer sale. They sell off their surplus a couple of times every year, and laptops were included in this particular sale. They announce the opening of the sale at a specific time, and the computers usually go very fast because the prices are so good. You have to be quick to get in on it. I was ready and waiting for them to announce the opening of the sale, and I managed to snag one of the laptops. It's an older model, but it's well maintained and will meet DS's needs.

The only glitch was that it was stripped before the sale, so I had to set up the OS and purchase and install word processing software. I am so not a techie! Five days before Christmas, there I was trying to install all this stuff. Somehow, I figured out how to work around a few problems and get it done. I was rather impressed with myself.

As soon as I had it set up, I wrapped the laptop in a big box and put it under the tree right away. DS saw the box and was so excited about it. All he talked about in the days leading up to Christmas was what could be in that box. He could hardly contain his excitement.

When he opened the box on Christmas morning, he was completely shocked to see the laptop. He said, "Really? For me?" He could hardly believe his eyes. I'm happy that we were able to make it happen for him. The excitement he felt about the mysterious box and the look on his face when he opened it are priceless. For him, it was magical. It made my Christmas, and it was definitely my favorite gift.

My favorite gift this year was one we gave DS (almost 12). He asked for a laptop to help him with his schoolwork. A new laptop was not in our gift budget, and I had to tell him that. .... I'm happy that we were able to make it happen for him. The excitement he felt about the mysterious box and the look on his face when he opened it are priceless. For him, it was magical. It made my Christmas, and it was definitely my favorite gift.

My favorite gift was actually ones I gave away - three sets of beef jerky for three darn picky people. I was rather proud of myself. I researched beef jerky online (who knew there is a beef jerky review website?) and found a company out of Pennsylvania. They were a big hit with my family.

It's so hard to narrow it down... my stepmother can be rather touchy about my close relationship with my Dad, and she's usually extra upset around the holidays (for various reasons). We have never made it through a Christmas without some yelling or fighting, sometimes directed at me, sometimes not. So for the last few years, Dad has taken to getting me fewer and fewer things (and not bigger ticket items either), because it's better to go through Christmas without many presents and without a huge screaming argument than with both.

This year, I opened my door at my house and found two boxes from Amazon about a week before Christmas. Thinking it was presents I had ordered, I opened the first one to find it was two movies (A Muppet Christmas Carol and Princess Mononoke) and a comic from my Amazon wishlist. I immediately called Dad to thank him, and he told me to wait longer before I opened the next one. They day before I drove up for the holidays, I opened that one, and it was two volumes of D'Aulaire's books of mythology (Greek and Norse), a bunch of manga, and several volumes of the Gargoyles comic books.

And at home, I got The Complete Calvin and Hobbes boxset. And my stepmother took me out to buy me a professional coat, and I got a gorgeous black wool one.

My DD's went to Wal-Mart with a bunch of pictures of each of their children from newborn to now. They scanned the pictures and assembled them in a little book about the size of a Little Golden Book. The last page has 5 pictures, me holding each of the kids and inscribed "Merry Christmas from [the kids's individual names].

My favorite gift was from my dad. He does metalworking and woodworking as a hobby, and he's really, really talented. And my favorite hobby is cooking. So for Christmas, he made me a chef's knife with a Damascus steel blade and an ebony handle (for those who don't know, Damascus steel is about the best material you can have for a knife like that; a knife like the one he made me would go for upwards of $150 in a store). It's far better than anything I'd ever hoped to own for my kitchen, and the fact that my dad made it for me makes it about 50 times better.

Second best, I'm planning to adopt a cat in January, and my grandparents gave me some money to pay the adoption fee at the shelter and get some kitty accessories. BF gave me a scratching post and says he'll help me buy a litter box since I have a relatively small apartment and I want to get a good one to minimize smell.

I also got "A Feast of Ice and Fire", the "Song of Ice and Fire" cookbook, which is awesome. When I get home, I'm going to make honey-roasted chicken and black bread for dinner! And about $100 in gift certificates to Amazon, which is always fun. More books ! ::rubs hands together in glee::

« Last Edit: December 28, 2012, 01:33:09 PM by Shea »

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My favorite gift is a Coach purse that my boyfriend gave me! It is absolutely beautiful!! I've wanted one for years, but never would allow myself to spend that much money on something that wasn't needed. He tried to buy me one around my birthday, but I wouldn't let him. This purse is bigger and more elaborate than what I was looking at, top of the line! He laughingly told me that this is what I get for not letting him spend money on me previously. I feel so spoiled!